Yesterday evening, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) welcomed State Senator Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester), Council Member Andrew Cohen, and members of the community to the first concert of his 2014 Summer Concert Series at a park in the Amalgamated Housing Cooperative on Orloff Avenue and Gale Place in the Bronx. The event was cosponsored by the Bronx Council on the Arts, the Amalgamated Housing Cooperative, and the Park Reservoir Co-op. The outdoor concert featured Grammy Award-winning musician John Benitez, who played a lively Latin jazz set with his band for the estimated 200 concertgoers.

“There is no better way to spend a beautiful summer evening than listening to talented musicians play music in a park with friends and family,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz. “These concerts are excellent opportunities for community members of all ages to relax and enjoy quality tunes together. I am proud to partner with the Bronx Council on the Arts to sponsor this series of free concerts across the northwest Bronx, and I look forward to seeing you at our next concert on August 11!”

The concert took place in the heart of the Amalgamated Housing Cooperative, just south of Van Cortlandt Park. Members of the community – senior citizens, families with young children, and everyone in between – gathered on benches, folding chairs, and along fences to listen to the music. After brief words of welcome from Assemblyman Dinowitz, State Senator Klein, and Council Member Cohen, John Benitez and his band took over, playing a two-hour set until 9:00 p.m. The band’s rousing trombone, saxophone, drums, and bass solos created a fun, festive atmosphere, and a number of attendees could be seen dancing to the music.

Yesterday’s concert was the first of six free summer concerts sponsored by Assemblyman Dinowitz and the Bronx Council on the Arts. The next concert, featuring acclaimed singer, composer, and trumpeter Ginetta M. and her band, will take place on Monday, August 11 on Orloff Avenue and Gale Place – the same location as the first concert – from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Later concerts will take place in Williamsbridge Oval on Thursday, August 14 and Monday, August 25; at the Riverdale YM-YWHA on Tuesday, August 26; and at Henry Hudson Park on Wednesday, August 27. Performers include Gene DiNapoli’s Oldies Band, Orquesta SCC, and the Just Nuts Party Band. For more information on the 2014 Summer Concert Series in the Northwest Bronx, visit: assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Jeffrey-Dinowitz/ or the Bronx Arts Web site.